A former leading UDA man has been found hanged at afootball playing field in Belfast, it has emerged.

Mark Barr, who has been linked with Johnny Adair's CCompany and was once charged in connection with the murderof Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, was found hanging atForthriver Road on Wednesday morning.

A spokesman for the PSNI said that no crime was suspected.

It was claimed today that officers from the HistoricalEnquiries Team have applied for a court order forpermission to take Barr's fingerprints.

Belfast councillor Jim Rodgers said: "I understand thatofficers from the Historical Enquiries Team went to themortuary to take fingerprints but were refused permission.They have now applied for a court order to be able to dothis.

"This causes me great concern. While I support this teamand hope they will be able to bring people to justice forpast crimes I do not think it is proper doing this on adead man."

No one from the Historical Enquiries Team was available forcomment this morning.

Barr's funeral is due to take place tomorrow morning fromhis mother's home at Shankill Parade.

The 36 year-old, who is understood to have once being oneof the main men in C Company, became the second man chargedby detectives over the brutal slaying of Mr Finucane.

He was brought to a Belfast court by the Stevens InquiryTeam and was convicted in 2001 of having documents likelyto be of use to terrorists. He received a suspended jailsentence for having the documents which included Army andpolice intelligence reports.

The documents were photocopies of originals taken fromThiepval Barracks by the Stevens Inquiry team during theirinvestigation.

Mr Rodgers, who was a general manager of the Youth TrainingScheme on the Shankill Road when Barr was a member, saidthat he had always found him " a committed young man" andadded that he sends his sympathies to his family.

"This man has died in very tragic circumstances and I feelfor his family," he said.

Just over six weeks from today, should the Government'sefforts go to plan, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness willbecome First and Deputy First Ministers in a new power-sharing administration.

They will hardly stand on the steps of Stormont for theirfirst photo opportunity. The two men have never spoken toeach other, so even a handshake must be considered some wayoff.

Yet Prime Minister Tony Blair and Secretary of State PeterHain say they fully expect this to happen. And TaoiseachBertie Ahern indicates if Blair believes it, that's goodenough for him. Few others share their optimism.

The electorate is not voting on a deal. No deal has beendone yet. This is not a referendum on the St AndrewsAgreement, though some will interpret it that way.

For most parties the Good Friday Agreement remains theirtemplate, while the DUP needs to be able to argue it hasbeen at least superseded.

So hard-headed negotiations will begin again as soon as thepolls close - after one of the most bruising battles theprovince may ever have endured.

The political parties will next week fire the first majorsalvoes in the Assembly election race amid fears the realwinner will be voter apathy.

From Monday, election strategies will stagger into fullaction, even as the Government reiterates that it couldstill pull the plug on the entire thing. The fact is theparties don't believe that will happen, and, in someregards, don't much care if it does. It would simply meanmore cash compensation from the taxpayers for partycoffers.

Moreover, however, no-one from Mr Hain up has explainedprecisely what criteria they will apply in making anydecision to render the March 7 poll null and void. Nor arethey likely to.

And yet the threat cannot be entirely dismissed, if onlybecause the Government has done it before.

Tony Blair called off the election in the spring of 2003 -after a full three days of campaigning - and the electionfinally followed in November that year. There is aprecedent.

Nonetheless the parties are gearing up for full engagement.Campaigning will begin in earnest following the close ofnominations, around teatime on Tuesday of next week.

And even then some of the parties will hold back on theirofficial launches, fearing the old mistake of peaking toosoon, or boring an already largely switched-off public todeath.

While it is holding a campaign launch on Wednesday, the DUPmay therefore hold onto its manifesto until later into thecampaign, while Sinn Fein has a tendency for cranking uplate.

Despite concerns over a massive 'stay-at-home' effect, themajor party machines - Sinn Fein and the DUP - will bemobilising their forces not least on the door steps.

And even if the total turnout should falter, a party'soverall share of the vote can still remain the same.

There are major issues for all the big parties. Is the DUPcampaigning for a vote to endorse the St Andrewsarrangements or some further modification of another power-sharing structure?

It is the party most in favour of the election, believingit can make more gains and consolidate four seats on anExecutive.

Will Sinn Fein's seismic shift towards supporting policingbring electoral rewards, and will its focus switch towardsthe also-imminent General Election in the Republic?

The party is facing some tests west of the Bann,particularly South Derry, West Tyrone and Fermanagh/SouthTyrone where dissident republicans and former party membersare expected to stand.

What message will the Ulster Unionist Party choose to sendto moderate supporters still in favour of a stabilisingdeal - or does it move into the role previously played bythe DUP?

And what about the SDLP? What shape is it in for anelection? Does it claim success in helping force Sinn Feintowards policing, or continue the focus on areas ofdifference such as the role of MI5?

Alliance is in danger of losing key seats. It is likely toattack the St Andrews arrangements while continuing toemphasise the need for accommodation.

Take a deep breath. Let battle commence ...

STARTING TODAY

From today the Belfast Telegraph team will be providingfull coverage of the election battle which could bring backdevolution at Stormont

ANALYSIS: We examine the big election questions. Will theDUP agree to share power by March 26? Can Sinn Fein facedown the challenge of dissidents and former members? Is theGovernment serious, at last, about its deadline?

MAJOR ISSUES: The Telegraph puts the key questions -including water charges, rates reform and the 11-plus -directly to the four main parties in a special feature

CONSTITUENCY PROFILES: The runners and riders and issueswhere you live in the race to decide who will be your sixMLAs

Further divisions within the DUP emerged today as the partyprepared to launch its Assembly election campaign.

As leader Ian Paisley said the DUP was the only party whichwanted the March 7 poll, councillors in his heartland NorthAntrim constituency confirmed they will not campaign forthe party on the doorsteps.

While the party's executive met in east Belfast last nightto ratify the manifesto, it was learned only six membersattended a meeting of its North Antrim Association.

Councillor Davy Tweed said today: "I am not going tocampaign for the party to bring Sinn Fein/ IRA intoGovernment. I have fought two elections to keep them out ofGovernment.

"I will not accept the word of Sinn Fein and I am sad theDUP is maybe falling into a trap of almost saying they aredragging Sinn Fein screaming into Government. I don'taccept that."

The Ballymena councillor, who has served 12 years, saidpeople on the doorsteps had told party representatives theyare not in favour of the St Andrews Agreement, which theyregarded as "worse" than the Good Friday Agreement. But hesaid the party leadership, which last night endorsed theelection candidates, had been "distant" from councillors"on the ground".

It is understood Mr Tweed has been joined by five others,including Roy Gillespie, a party member for almost 40years, who was not immediately available for comment today.

However, North Antrim candidate Ian Paisley Jnr, who wasamong the half-dozen at the meeting, said he believed thecouncillors had "jumped too soon" and could end upregretting their decision.

The executive meeting at the Park Avenue Hotel last nightalso drew a small protest, which included Willie Frazer ofthe Families Against Intimidation and Terror (FAIR) group.

Mr Frazer, who is also standing as an independent candidatein Newry and Armagh, said after discussions with MPs DavidSimpson, Gregory Campbell and Sammy Wilson he believed theDUP was ready to go into government with Sinn Fein.

"The concern seems to be about the timing now, rather thanthe principle. Basically we got no reassurance from any ofthem," Mr Fraser said.

As the DUP executive meeting last night ratified all 46candidates, it also agreed to reduce fines which would beimposed on future MLAs if they fail to attend meetings orbreach party policy, from a reported œ20,000 to œ2,000. Theparty leader, in a BBC Hearts and MInds interview, revealedhe himself had been required to pay a penalty in the pastfor not attending a meeting.

Three candidates for Robert McCartney's United KingdomUnionists will be former DUP members or associates, it wasclaimed today.

And Mr McCartney intends personally to stand in sixseparate constituencies, although he has not finallydecided which ones yet.

The UK Unionists will also be fielding between eight and 10candidates in other constituencies, and will reveal theiridentities next week, Mr McCartney said today.

"The reason I am standing in six constituencies is that,given the short time for this election, we have as yet noclear picture from the DUP as to what they intend to do onMarch 26," the outgoing North Down MLA said.

"I want to give an opportunity to all those who brought theDUP to the pinnacle of their election success to vote'no'."

Mr McCartney said he had yet to decide which constituencieswere the most favourable electorally. He added: "I wouldalso prefer that other candidates make their ownannouncements, but I can say three of them are former DUPMLAs or have other associations with the party."

His attack came as the DUP lumbered up to launch its ownelection campaign, with leader Ian Paisley planning tovisit nomination centres in Belfast, Banbridge andBallymena on Monday.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman confirmedthe move may be imminent.

He said: "In light of the new attitude towards policing ina substantial part of the republican community, the seniorinvestigating officer in the Omagh bomb investigation isexamining the possibility of requesting the assistance ofpublic representatives in the south Armagh and Dundalkareas to encourage people to come forward withinformation."

The 1998 Real IRA bomb killed 29 people, including a womanpregnant with twins.

Sinn F‚in's spokesperson on Policing and Justice, GerryKelly, has expressed concerns at the draft legislationrelating to justice issues which is currently passingthrough the British parliament. The party met with BritishSecretary of State Peter Hain earlier this week following aseries of meetings with NIO minister Paul Goggins.

Sinn F‚in has highlighted four main areas of concern withthe Justice and Security (NI) Bill. These include anattempt to place restrictions on the Human RightsCommission; a provision for non-jury trials; and powers ofstop and search, raid and arrest envisaged for both theBritish Army and PSNI.

Gerry Kelly said:

"We are concerned that aspects of the draft justicelegislation may undermine the effect of the repeal ofrepressive legislation which is scheduled for July thisyear. Sinn F‚in has raised these concerns consistently indiscussions with the British Government."

During negotiations, the British Government committeditself to the repeal of emergency powers as part of theprogramme of demilitarisation in the Six Counties. This isdue in July of this year and includes the abolition of thenon-jury Diplock courts.

Provisions currently under consideration at Westminsterhave the potential to allow the continued use of someemergency powers in particular circumstances. Sinn F‚in isalso contesting provisions within the bill that would givethe Public Prosecution Service discretion to allow a casebefore the courts to be a non-jury trial.

Diplock courts

"There must be no re-introduction of Diplock courts throughthe back door," said Kelly.

"Similarly, the provisions that allow extended powers ofarrest to the PSNI and the British Army, and those whichseek to limit the application of new powers for the HumanRights Commission, should be withdrawn.

"New powers for the Human Rights Commission were agreed aspart of the recent negotiations as a necessary step indriving forward the human rights agenda. It is essentialthat the commission has all the necessary powers to befully effective."

The proposed legislation will make it impossible for theHuman Rights Commission to investigate retrospective caseseven where there are clear implications for the future.Gerry Kelly said: "We made it clear this is a hugemistake."

The legislation curtails the commission's right toinvestigate any alleged abuses the British deem to be"national and security issues" and restricts thecommission's ability to make unscheduled visits to placesof detention, including prisons, youth detention facilitiesand secure hospitals.

These proposed restrictions have been specificallyearmarked by the British Government for the North ofIreland. The new Human Rights Commissions in England,Scotland and Wales will not be restricted. Even moreincongruous is the fact that such restrictions are not tobe imposed in the 26 Counties.

"It is clear that the transfer of powers is critical torealising the fundamental reform of the criminal justicesystem and the new beginning to policing envisaged in theGood Friday Agreement.

"Sinn F‚in wants this to happen sooner rather than later.The British Government have signalled that, in the event ofa refusal by the DUP to agree the transfer of powers in thetimescale set out in St Andrews, they will take thenecessary steps to ensure this happens. There must be noretreat from this commitment."

Dublin City Council has passed a motion calling for a fullpublic enquiry in to the Dublin/Monaghan bombings of May1974.

The motion, tabled by Sinn F‚in Councillor Daith¡ Doolan,was passed at last Monday night's council meeting.

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Doolan said:

"The public know that collusion took place on that fatefulday in 1974. British forces acted in unison with loyalistparamilitaries which resulted in 33 people being killed inthe car bombs.

"It must be remembered that Britain's dirty war was neverconfined to the North but was played out here on thestreets of Dublin.

"It is high time that the Irish Government took their headout of the sand and set up a public inquiry in to thecircumstances that surrounded the bombing of Dublin andMonaghan.

"The demand by Dublin City Council will be communicateddirectly to An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern; the citizens ofDublin await his reply."

Daith¡ Doolan added:

"I am delighted that this motion has received cross-partysupport and this will send a very clear message to AnTaoiseach that a public inquiry in now needed to out thetruth and bring closure to one of the worst atrocitiesduring the conflict on this island.

"The citizens of this city deserve nothing less than thetruth made public on the matter."

Meanwhile, the Sinn F‚in MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone,Michelle Gildernew, has accused unionist politicians offailing to face up to truth about collusion.

Former UDR major Ken Maginnis, now a member of the BritishHouse of Lords, has claimed that too much money is beingspent on the Police Ombudsman's office.

Maginnis, formerly a UUP MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone,said:

"It is totally over-resourced and possibly totallyunnecessary. If we had someone with more judicial andinvestigative knowledge than the current Police Ombudsmanwe might do things a lot less painfully."

Maginnis claimed the fact that just six police officersofficers were convicted from completed investigations showsthe police in the Six Countires in a different lightcompared to the damning details of RUC Special Branchcollusion with loyalist paramilitaries contained in adevastating Ombudsman report published two weeks ago.

"The Police Ombudsman's report into the murder of RaymondMcCord Jnr represents the tip of the iceberg. Yet not onlydid it expose the extent and nature of collusion it alsocruelly exposed the deep and profound failure of unionismto face up to the truth about collusion.

"You have to wonder whether certain unionists really haveany commitment to delivering real accountability into thepolicing structures and to the rule of law and policingthat is free from partisan political control.

"Ken Maginnis would make a more positive contribution tothe future of our society and the development of a newbeginning to policing and justice if he challenged bothformer and serving members of the PSNI, RUC, RIR and UDR,of which he was a member, to co-operate fully with thePolice Ombudsman.

"The fact is that former members of the RUC and PSNI havenot co-operated with Nuala O`Loan and, indeed, theOmbudsman has highlighted the destruction of evidence byformer members as frustrating future prosecutions andconvictions."

Dublin City Council motion

Dublin City Council, in welcoming the recent publication byPolice Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan into collusion betweenRUC/PSNI and the UVF, calls on the Irish Government to holda public, independent inquiry into the circumstancessurrounding the Dublin/Monaghan bombings of May 1974.

The plight of a woman quizzed in relation to the NorthernBank robbery and now on hunger strike in a bid to restoreher reputation is to be raised in the Dail, it emergedtoday.

Kathryn Nelson, who was arrested and questioned by Garda inrelation to the œ26m Northern Bank heist, has now gonealmost two weeks without food.

As revealed in the Belfast Telegraph, she is outraged thatreports following her day-long police interviews last yearlinked her to the Provisional IRA.

Formerly from Co Kildare, Ms Nelson said: "I am about asfar away from the IRA as you will ever find."

Now living outside Douglas on the Isle of Man, the 57-year-old wants a statement from the Republic's Department ofJustice clearing her name - and compensation.

And now her demands may be taken up by Irish Labour Partypresident Michael D Higgins, the veteran Galway TD.

Mr Higgins told the Belfast Telegraph: "It would appear tome that if someone is arrested and that charges are notmade to stand against them then they are entitled to becleared."

Ms Nelson said: "I am delighted that at least someone seemsprepared to try to help. But I will remain on hunger strikeuntil this is sorted out."

Ms Nelson was arrested while staying at the BallymascanlonHotel in February last year and taken to the Garda stationin Balbriggan.

She said she was questioned by two senior detectivesergeants a number of times and then released.

Her arrest came after papers from her office, then based inSofia, Bulgaria, where found in premises linked tobusinessman Phil Flynn, who was also questioned in relationto money-laundering allegations.

Ms Nelson had worked in a diplomatic liaison capacity forIrish firms interested in projects in Bulgaria.

She said approaches were made to the Garda and theRepublic's Department of Justice after her name appeared innewspapers majoring on the Northern Bank robbery story. Onereport used the term 'IRA moll'.

But in the aftermath there was no statement making clearshe was no longer a suspect, and, she says, the failure torestore her good name helped ruin her business. Ms Nelsonalso claims she is now owed more than œ100,000.

Ms Nelson also rejected suggestions by the department inDublin that she make a formal complaint either to the GardaCommissioner or to the Garda Siochana Complaints Board.

"I don't have faith in them and, quite frankly, now headinginto my 13th day I don't have the time," she said.

Sinn F‚in's Dublin environment and local governmentspokesperson Daithi Doolan has called for the public tosupport the day of solidarity with the people of Rossporton February 16th and the demonstration planned for Dublinon the 24th.

Speaking today at a press conference to announce details ofthe Dublin demonstration, Mr Doolan pledged the party'ssupport for the campaign against Shell's pipeline and thetheft of Ireland's natural resources.

Mr Doolan said: "Sinn F‚in is supporting this demonstrationon February 24th and has supported the Rossport Shell toSea campaign from the beginning. We hope that as manypeople as possible come out onto the streets to show theirsupport for the campaign against Shell's pipeline and thetheft of Ireland's natural resources.

"But even more importantly, we need people to get down toMayo for the day of solidarity with the people of Rossportand Bellanaboy on February 16th. Busses will be going downon the 15th from all over the island.

"On the last day of support at Bellanaboy there were peoplefrom Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Monaghanshowing their solidarity with the men and women who havemaintained a vigil on Shell's activities for so long.

"Since the start of October there has been a daily peacefulprotest at the site of the refinery at Bellanaboy to opposethe infliction of this dangerous pipeline on a small, ruralcommunity.

"We support the calls for people to turn out on the 24th,but we would ask people to do whatever they can to get downto Bellanaboy on the 16th, to get down to the frontline ofthis struggle."

"Demanded that the Irish government protect both itscitizens by supporting the people of Rossport in theirreasonable demand to have the Shell pipeline moved offshore."

Nothing much seems to happen for a time, then there isnoticeable movement, such as the republicans' historicchange of approach regarding policing.

This is invariably followed by people - usually politicalgrandees - throwing a fit about a comparatively minorissue. Then everyone assimilates the latest developmentsinto their political psyche and readjusts their prognosisfor the future.

The last few weeks have had quite a share of starts, withthe O'Loan report followed swiftly by republicans' policingdecision. We then had the storm in a teacup fuss over thepoorly-worded SDLP advertisement but no doubt we'll settledown again.

This strategy seems to be working though and in ourstop/start way all the obstacles to devolved power sharinghave been removed.

There is nothing else we can ask republicans to do. Theyhave conceded every demand made on them. The only thingthat will stop power sharing is the determination ofunionists not to. And we will know their answer to thatquestion in a few short weeks after the election.

A no vote will be a clear message to both London and Dublinthat Northern Ireland as a separate political entity isungovernable and that the two governments will have to makelong-term alternative arrangements.

This is a road hopefully we will not need to go down.Having come so far together it is not overly optimistic tohope that soon we will have our own assembly back andpoliticians can begin to work together on the big issuesthat impact on people's lives now and in the future, notexercise their political skill on reminding us of whathappened 10, 20 or 40 years ago.

It is vital that this new assembly does look forward and isnot dragged back into recriminations about the past.

How, then, do they handle the pain and hurt that stilldominates some people to the extent that their futurepossibilities are still trapped in their past?

There has been endless talk of what might help moveeveryone on together, whether it be a truth commission,more judicial tribunals or something else. There are andhave been also many good projects supporting victims andcommunities.

Understandably they have not achieved their full potential,as such schemes tend to be localised and because of lack offunding, short lived.

An assembly should be able to do better in future. Now thatwe can have a fresh start it is imperative that our ownelected politicians make provision for remembering thepast, not by continuing to make this issue a politicalfootball but by funding and properly funding, secularsociety to enable us to make as much peace as possible withour past.

The politicians will not have to look far for a vehicle totake this sensitive issue forward. Healing ThroughRemembering is a non-political, broadly representativegroup working quietly since 2002 to find ways to help usmove forward.

Their recent report Making Peace with the Past, compiledafter opportunities for wide consultation, makes sixrecommendations: establishment of a network linkingtogether and thus synergising all the diverse forms ofremembering work; a storytelling process collected from allwho want to tell of their experiences of the conflict - aprocess standardised and recorded; a day of reflection,serving as an universal gesture of recognition; a permanentliving memorial museum - a dynamic memorial to all thoseaffected by the conflict; acknowledgement - that allorganisations involved in the conflict including theBritish and Irish states honestly and publicly acknowledgeresponsibility for past political violence due to theiracts of omission or commission.

Obviously some of these recommendations, particularly thelast, will be more controversial than others but as Healingthrough Remembering points out, successful implementationwill depend on correct timing and all-community support.

This organisation has now asked for all-party politicalsupport .The new assembly should recognise its worth andits work, acknowledge that making peace with the past isour last outstanding major issue, fund Healing ThroughRemembering properly and then ask it to take forward itsrecommendations on all our behalf.

For nearly a century, Ireland's patriotic guardians ofhomegrown Gaelic games observed an inflexible rule: NoBritish sports permitted on the hallowed ground of CrokePark.

That era ends on Sunday when Ireland and France take to thefield of the sold-out, 82 300-capacity stadium for a SixNations rugby clash.

France is being followed two weeks later by Ireland'sancient enemy. The introduction of England at Croke Park,accompanied by the British anthem God Save the Queen,appears certain to mix past hatreds with modern passions inwhat remains a cathedral for Irish nationalism.

"I never believed for one moment I would see it in mylifetime," said former Ireland flyhalf Tony Ward. "The moveto Croke Park is full of symbolism and shows a youngcountry maturing in front of our eyes.

"The moment the band strikes up God Save the Queen beforethe England match will be the moment the 'war' isofficially over."

The decision to open Croke Park to Six Nations rugby and,next month, Ireland's national soccer team for EuropeanChampionship qualifiers involved years of bruising debatewithin the Gaelic Athletic Association, the dominant sportsorganisation of rural Ireland.

The GAA runs more than 2 000 clubs involving 350 000players of Gaelic football and hurling. Both sports fieldcounty-based teams of unpaid amateurs that battle for theall-Ireland championships each September in Croke Park.

GAA strength is embodied in the past decade's ?260-million($330-million) expansion of "Croker," on Dublin's grittynorth side, into one of Europe's biggest and most luxuriousstadiums.

But the GAA's rule 42 -- its 122-year-old ban on hosting"foreign" games -- reflected deep-seated fears thatGaelic's status as an amateur, intensely Irish institutionmust be physically shielded from contact with big-moneyinternational sports. That resonates in a country whereschools choose to play either Gaelic sports or rugby, notboth.

Resistance to dumping rule 42 also was in keeping withCroke Park's bloody place in the fight for independencefrom Britain.

On November 21 1920, police and British troops stormedCroke Park during a Dublin-Tipperary football match in asupposed search for Irish Republican Army men who, thatmorning, had shot to death a dozen British intelligenceagents in their Dublin homes. The day's competition was anillegal fundraiser for the families of IRA suspectsimprisoned by the British.

A 2001 GAA vote to drop the ban failed by a single ballot.The step received strong backing in 2005 followingunprecedented pressure from the public and the government.

The catalyst was the pressing need to raze and redevelopIreland's other major stadium, 35 000-seat Lansdowne Road,which closed to rugby and soccer for redevelopment threemonths ago thanks to the Croke Park deal.

Had the GAA refused, Ireland's national soccer and rugbyteams would have been forced to play outside the countryand the GAA would have been pilloried as backward andselfish.

Instead, the already cash-rich organisation can collect 26%of ticket sales, or more than ?1,5-million ($2-million) pergame, from the Irish Rugby Football Union and the FootballAssociation of Ireland into 2008 and, probably, beyond asconstruction of the new 50 000-seat Lansdowne Road fallsbehind schedule.

"We felt an obligation to help for the good of the country.We do have a level of membership very unhappy with thedecision," said GAA president Nickey Brennan, who hastickets to the rugby and soccer matches but has mixedfeelings about going.

"I'll be a stranger in my own stadium," he said. "If you'dhave asked me three or four years ago, I'd have said noway."

A Gaelic pitch is 144m by 86m, while a rugby pitch measures100m by 70m. The crowd will be more than double the usualsize and much farther away from the touch lines.

But the Irish say they will play with even more passionbecause it's Croke Park.

"It's every Irish kid's dream to play at Croke Park nomatter what sporting background you're from," said Irelandprop Marcus Horan. "We all had a great sense of pride justwalking into the place last week, and I think that pride isgoing to be even greater against France."

The French get that, too.

"We understand it is the cradle of Irish sport, the heartof Ireland in a way. A historic challenge is awaiting us atCroke Park," said France captain Raphael Ibanez.

France fullback Clement Poitrenaud said the match would be"in a new stadium, in a historic context, in an even morehighly charged atmosphere. I hope that our performance willmake it a historic sporting occasion as well." - Sapa-AP

The Irish News has been ordered to pay a restaurateurœ25,000 after a jury found a review printed in thenewspaper about a west Belfast eatery to be defamatory.

The Belfast newspaper printed a review of Goodfellasrestaurant, written by esteemed food critic CarolineWorkman, in a Saturday edition in August 2000. The reviewof the Kennedy Way restaurant criticised the quality offood and drink, the staff and the smoky atmosphere. Shegave it a rating of one mark out of a possible five.

Owner Ciarnan Convery, a former taxi driver who opened therestaurant in 1991, claimed the article was a "hatchet job"and launched a libel action against the Irish News.

The case was opened at the High Court in Belfast last weekand has been heard in front of Mr Justice Coghlin.

Mr Convery's legal team claimed the review was defamatory,damaging and hurtful and said the Irish News has failed toapologise or print a retraction. The claim was denied bythe newspaper with its legal team pleading justificationand fair comment.

The jury of four men and three women deliberated the actionfor an hour and a half yesterday before returning with aunanimous verdict concluding the review containeddefamatory comments.

The jury also said the Irish News should pay Mr Converyœ25,000 damages plus court costs. Following the verdict, anIrish News spokesman said: "We have instructed our lawyersto launch an immediate appeal," while Mr Convery expressedhis delight at the ruling.

The Belfast businessman said: "I think justice has beendone. Goodfellas is a successful business and today'sverdict has proved to me, my staff and my customers that wedid the right thing by launching the libel action."

The 50th anniversary of the death of Canon Hayes will bemarked in Bansha in Co Tipperary where he served as parishpriest from 1947 until his death in 1957. Mr Ahern willtoday lay a wreath at Canon Hayes' grave in Banshagraveyard during a constituency tour.